1996 — Part-Time

Mike Viola ’96

Michael Viola was named vice president of organizations at Contemporary Healthcare Capital LLC, a leading provider of senior mortgage, mezzanine debt and equity to healthcare service companies in the nation. He will work out of the company's newly established Chicago office.

Public relations firm Edelman announced the appointment of Mark Shadle as a president of the firm's central region, which includes its Chicago co-headquarters office and operations in Dallas and Austin. Mark is a 23-year Edelman veteran who served as deputy president of the central region and leader of the firm's U.S. corporate practice. During his career with Edelman, Mark directed programs for a wide range of clients, from multinational corporations to entrepreneurial startups.

David Schnepp writes: "I have a new job as COO of Digital PlaySpace Inc. (online playspaces for kids). We launched our first product Digital Dollhouse in early October (check it out at digitaldollhouse.com). Our target market is girls age 8-12, so if you know any that want to be in the beta test, let me know. We are also looking for home design/furnishing brands or magazines as partners. Feel free to call me anytime at 310.345.7412 with ideas."

Dan Rausch has retreated to finance and accounting from Michigan's slower commercial marketplace. He is CFO for the CB Richard Ellis commercial real estate affiliate in Lansing and Grand Rapids, Mich., after having previously brokered properties for CBRE in Detroit. He writes, "I have three beautiful kids Drew (7), Addison (6) and Rhoby (4) who are playing and learning in the awesome Grosse Pointe schools."

In July of this year, Carolina Cruxent-Roig joined the Atlanta office of Eric Mower and Associates as a management supervisor. She oversees the national advertising for Georgia-Pacific's Dixie plates, cups and napkins business.

Steve Hilton writes: "While it still amazes me to think I'm almost 40, believe it or not, I'm the proud dad of three kids. My wife Ruthie is a social worker who writes home studies for adoptive parents. She gets kudos for doing work that makes an enormous difference in people's lives. My kids Ana, Donny and Kenny, are 10, 8 and 2.We are one big happy family living in a small condo with high natural gas bills in Brookline, Mass.

"On the professional front, I've been working at Yankee Group, a technology consultant and analyst firm, for five years. As vice president of research, I spend my days penning entertaining, humorous pieces predicting why small businesses will buy this-or-that technology. When not writing, I'm on the phone talking to newspaper reporters so they can write entertaining, humorous pieces on why small businesses will buy this-or-that technology. I even have my own monthly article called 'Ask Steve' published in five trade rags. Businesses actually ask my opinions about technology things! Never thought it would happen. I would love to catch up with old friends and hear what you all are doing."

Cheryl Pettit last ran the Chicago Marathon in 1997 to celebrate the milestone of graduating from Kellogg after having filled all that extra time usually spent studying with running. This year she is honoring a milestone of another sort as a charity runner for the American Cancer Society. Go to main.acsevents.org/goto/Cheryl.Pettit to read the full story. When she's not running, Cheryl works part-time as a bookkeeper and database manager for some of the nonprofits in her town and takes care of her husband and daughter (6).

Jeff Lunde writes: "After some frustrating delays due to production issues, I've finally taken the entrepreneurial leap and launched my company, Boomyah International LLC. Boomyah is a new lifestyle brand of fitness and recreation products aimed at helping baby boomers (give or take a decade) to stay active, have fun and enjoy life. The first products are patent-pending Nordic fitness walking poles – ideal for people who walk to stay fit and healthy. It's huge in Europe and new in the U.S. Check it out at boomyah.com. Hopefully I learned enough in Professors Rogers and Merkin's classes to help me get this baby off the ground! Use promo code GOKLLGG to save 10 percent through 2008 and feel free to pass it along to 'Friends of Kellogg' too."